Express-Scripts plans $56 million expansion and 1,500 new jobs over five years

St. Louis is headed to the top ten in college attainment.

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A pillar of our economic development strategy is that, “We will win on today’s regional strengths in focused economic clusters. Explore in detail the four sectors that we believe will shape our region’s future.

“The Banker” … from Central Park West to Washington Avenue

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We’ve condensed a detailed three-year plan into a single paragraph we call our Strategy Statement. It’s all about priorities and direction.

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Our research team has probably answered almost any question that could be asked regarding the St. Louis region. If you can't find it in our Regional Data section, please send a note to Tim Alexander at talexander@stlregionalchamber.com.

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Inner City Capital Connections Program has come to St. Louis. To date, this program has helped 837 different businesses raise over $1.32 billion in capital and create over 11,000 jobs in the inner city. Read more about the program on our blog.

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We believe nothing is more important in St. Louis than achieving Top 10 status in college attainment among the nation's largest metros. Visit www.topteneducation.org to follow our progress.

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If your company represents growth potential for the region -- or you know of other companies that do -- we'd be pleased to help however we can. Please contact Jim Alexander at jalexander@stlregionalchamber.com

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St. Louis is home to 16 Fortune 1000 companies and some of the largest private firms in the U.S.; but don't overlook the ever increasing number of high growth small-to-medium enterprises and startups. Click here for a quick summary.

It’s been a glorious run for the St. Louis Blues as they’re making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 49 years. In this best-of-seven series against the Boston Bruins, the same team the Blues faced off against in their last Finals appearance in 1970, our hometown hockey team has a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

No matter how this series ends, the Blues score on raising the economic activity and morale of our region.

The Blues bring the City of St. Louis nearly $4 million a year in sales tax revenue from ticket purchases according to reports from St. Louis Public Radio. While revenue from merchandise, food, beverage, travel, and accommodation expenditures in the City is expected to contribute to an increased budget, those visiting from outside of the St. Louis region and making purchases here creates more activity within the regional economy.

“Thanks to the Blues making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, we have more economic activity throughout the region,” says St. Louis Regional Economic Development Alliance Economic Research Director Ruth Sergenian. “NHL officials, media, and fans coming from outside St. Louis and buying tickets to the Enterprise Center, transportation and hotel accommodations, and food and drink throughout their stay injects new money into the economy.” Sergenian also points to expenditures for events like the Enterprise Center’s sold-out watch parties and street concerts as examples of new activity happening thanks to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With the region’s excitement around the Blue’s Finals appearance, their overall value and popularity is anticipated to increase, which would correlate with increased tickets sales for games and related merchandise in the coming years. The Blues are currently worth $465 million according to Forbes Magazine, so it’s anticipated their value could increase with a Stanley Cup under their belt.

“We’re thrilled to see our legislators value the importance of the Enterprise Center,” says Regional Chamber Vice President of Public Policy Austin Walker. “Investing in spaces like the Enterprise Center means investing in attracting thousands of people to St. Louis every year. These spaces are often the first glimpse visitors have of our region, so having a state-of-the-art and fan-friendly facility goes a long way at making St. Louis a more attractive destination and encourages people to not only visit, but revisit and possibly relocate to our region.“

But just as important as the dollars and cents of the Blues’ march towards the Stanley Cup, their playoff berth is generating plenty of excitement and coverage of the St. Louis region. Hockey fans from across the globe get to glimpse at what makes St. Louis a high-energy sports town.

“People in St. Louis are supportive, enthusiastic, and proud of their sports teams. This same energy is tangible in the way we’re proud of our world-class amenities, of our cost of living, and of our collaborative communities,” say Regional Chamber President & CEO Tom Chulick. “Our big-hearted nature is in everything we do, from business to sports and everything in between. That’s what makes St. Louis the place to stand out, start up, and stay.”

The Blues are giving St. Louis an opportunity to show that for people who love sports or just love a supportive hometown crowd, St. Louis is the best place in the country to live, work, and play. Now let’s blast “Gloria” a few more times and see our St. Louis Blues make history.

Recent years have seen a high volume of U.S. corporate mergers and acquisitions. St. Louis area headquarters have been active acquirers growing through many significant acquisitions. In 2017, St. Louis companies acquired almost $20 billion worth of major companies across industries including health care, manufacturing, and technology.

Most notably, Centene, Express Scripts, and Emerson each made acquisitions worth over $3 Billion. Other major acquisitions were spearheaded by Quinpario, Post Holdings, and Mallinckrodt. The following list details some of the largest company acquisitions in 2017 by St. Louis headquarters.

MAJOR ACQUISITIONS BY ST LOUIS COMPANIES 2017

St. Louis Company HQ

Acquired Company

Acquisition Price

Acquisition Date

Centene

Fidelis Care

$3.75 Billion

September 12, 2017

Express Scripts

eviCore healthcare

$3.60 Billion

October 10, 2017

Emerson

Pentair

$3.15 Billion

May 1, 2017

Quinpario Acquisition Corporation

SourceHOV LLC & Novitex Holdings Inc.

$2.80 Billion

July 10, 2017

Post Holdings

Weetabix

$1.80 Billion

July 3, 2017

Post Holdings

Bob Evans

$1.50 Billion

September 19, 2017

Mallinckrodt

Sucampo

$1.20 Billion

December 26, 2017

Emerson

Paradigm

$510 Million

December 4, 2017

Express Scripts

myMatrixx

$250 Million

May 2017

Belden

Thinklogical

$160 Million

May 2017

Sources: St. Louis Business Journal and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

These acquisitions were dwarfed by Emerson’s ultimately unsuccessful $29 billion bid to acquire Rockwell Automation, an industrial automation provider.(1) Emerson quickly pivoted to a buy back of their own shares and two smaller acquisitions, Paradigm for $510 million and Cooper-Atkins for an undisclosed sum.(2)

St. Louis has long been an attractive location for the headquarters of some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies. Recent major acquisitions demonstrate the continuing strength and growth of the St. Louis headquarters market.